Pattaya marks 34th city anniversary

Pattaya marked the 34th anniversary of the founding of the city with a merit-making ceremony attended by city officials and residents.

The Nov. 29 ceremony began with honoring the spirit of King Taksin, who was adopted and honored by the city as its founder, and other former kings. With a Brahman ceremony at 9:09 a.m., Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome lit candles and incense and led prayers to the city’s forefathers.

Garlands were also placed around a bust of Parinya Chawalitdhamrongkul to remember the five-time city council member who donated 10 rai of land for Pattaya City Hall’s construction on Nov. 23, 1980. Parinya first came to Pattaya in 1948 and helped develop Pattaya, Naklua, Nongprue and Banglamung as tourist destinations. He passed away in 2005.

Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome leads administrators and council members to place garlands around a bust of Parinya Chawalitdhamrongkul to remember the five-time city council member who donated 10 rai of land for Pattaya City Hall’s construction.

The ceremony was capped off by nine monks who chanted and recited Dharma inside Pattaya City Hall.

Pattaya’s current status came into being with the Pattaya City Administration Act of 1978. Before that the area was known as Naklua Sanitation District, established in 1956, which was expanded to South Pattaya in 1964 with a manageable area of 22.2 square kilometers.

As the township grew and became a favorite tourist destination of Thais and foreigners alike, the former sanitation district could not manage the administration and services to keep pace with its growth. The government issued the Pattaya City Administration Act of 1978, dissolving Naklua Sanitation District and Pattaya City was born.

The city has been administered under a special autonomous system of city management since November 29, 1978.

The Constitution for the Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2540 required that a local administrator and the city council be elected. The Pattaya Regulations for Administration Act B.E. 1979 was adopted on November 30, 1979 as the basis for the current city governance.

This article was published in the Pattaya Mail newspaper on Friday December 14, 2012 (Vol. XX No. 50).